


Heart of Gold

by Lilover131



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Action, Adventure, Family, Gods, Magic, Multi, Romance, Shinto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 16:46:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15393081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilover131/pseuds/Lilover131
Summary: Sakura and the gang are now in middle school, and the peace has not budged since the events of the VOID card years ago. But, now strange things are happening in Tomoeda again, and the Cardcaptors may be out of their league...





	Heart of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> Lilover131: This is a story idea I've had for many years and finally got started on! After spending so long on my largest work, Cry of a Wolf, there were many regrets I had in the process of writing it, and I'm hoping to do better this time around with my new story! I hope you all enjoy it!!

Sakura awoke on her bed, sleepily gazing around her bedroom as the morning light shone in. Emerald eyes looked to the clock by her bed. It was surprising for her to be up before her alarm, and Kero appeared to be still asleep in his makeshift bed within the desk drawer. The young woman yawned before slipping out of bed and started her daily ritual.

It was another day of school, however today was a special day. Sakura did the same routine as always, though awake earlier than usual, and cheerfully made her way down the stairs. She had managed to get changed without waking Kero, but this was an easier task when she was not running like a mad woman to get to school on time. 

Sakura’s father, Fujitaka, already had breakfast waiting for her when she came down and smiled at his daughter. 

“Good morning, Sakura” 

She returned the smile and gave her morning greetings to both him and the new picture of her mother. It was amazing how her father managed to put up a new picture every day. Eventually, there would be a repeat once all of them had been displayed. With Nadeshiko having been such a beautiful woman, it wasn’t surprising there were so many photos of her. Sakura only wished she would have gotten to know her properly rather than through stories and pictures. 

The girl sat at the dining room table, thrilled to see her favorite breakfast food; pancakes. Her face lit up with excitement, and her father appeared to find some joy in having made her so happy. 

“I made you your favorite. Today is your birthday, after all” 

Today was April 1st, and this day was also shared as the day Sakura was born. She nodded in acknowledgement of the occasion. 

“Thank you, Father. It's time to eat!” 

Sakura started eating her breakfast, and a voice rang out from the hallway where the stairs were. 

“Is the monster really 15 now? She doesn’t look she’s grown at all. In fact, I think she might have gotten shorter!” 

The young girl’s mood was already ruined, and her emerald eyes glared at her older brother Touya, standing by the opening to the kitchen. 

“I have gotten taller, but even though you’re in college now, you still behave like a big child!” 

Touya winced at the insult before sitting down next to his little sister, newspaper in hand. Sakura glanced at an article on the front page, intrigued by the header. The words read: Cherry Tree in Tsukimine Shrine Blooming Dark Petals? Touya noticed his sister’s curiosity, and placed the paper down on the table. 

“You didn’t hear? The cherry blossoms on the tree at Tsukimine Shrine have turned completely black. No one seems to know why” 

Sakura frowned as she was very familiar with this tree. It had quite a bit of magic stored in it, since it was so old, and it had helped her on more than one occasion. Touya gently touched her head as his way of comfort. 

“Are you walking alone to school?” 

The girl shook her head and smiled, taking the final bite of her pancake before answering. 

“Syaoran-kun is going to meet me so we can walk together” 

The older brother was instantly regretting having asked, his irritation not hidden well. Fujitaka emerged from the kitchen, two bentos in hand and offered them to Sakura. The girl was surprised, certainly confused as to why her father had made her two lunches rather than one. 

“Please give this to Li-kun, won’t you? I wanted to thank him for helping with dinner the other night” 

Sakura had nearly forgotten that the boy had been over to the house a couple days ago for help on a research paper from Fujitaka. The two had been getting along rather well, and Syaoran’s interest in archaeology had really taken off with her father’s help. Naturally, he stayed for several hours and was invited for dinner. However, dinner had multiplied as Yukito also joined them, and with his appetite….needless to say, her father required help, and Syaoran stepped in. Sakura took the second bento and nodded with a smile. 

With that, the young woman finished packing her bag and made her final adjustments to her uniform. Since she was in middle school now, her uniform had changed as well. She now wore a longsleeved black shirt with a square neckline that ended right above her chest and two rows of 3 gold buttons. Underneath was a white collared dress shirt with red stripes on the edges of the sleeves where they appeared under the black shirt. She also wore a white, mid thigh skirt, with a red strip lined at the bottom, white stockings, and a short white women’s tie, also lined with a red stripe. The Tomoeda middle school logo was placed on the side by her shoulder. Sakura put her black dress shoes on by the front door, and called out to her family as she left. 

The first thing she noticed as she stepped outside her home was the beautiful sunshine and perfect temperature. The birds were singing, and the weather seemed ideal for a day starting off so well. The only thing that could make this day better was…

“Good Morning!” 

A familiar voice reached out to her from behind the front gate of her home, and when her eyes traced back to the source, Sakura could not help but smile. 

“Syaoran-kun…” 

The girl moved to the young man who was waiting for her with that gentle smile that only she received. 

“You’re ready earlier than usual” 

Sakura nodded and approached him, face slightly tinted red. 

“I had a dream, and it woke me up before my alarm did” 

Syaoran tilted his head at this statement, unsure of what that meant exactly. After all, the girl’s powers had grown quite a bit since she first became the Card Mistress, and any dream at all could be important. She had always had a real gift for seeing the future in dreams

“Was it a premonitory dream?” 

The boy asked out of curiosity, and Sakura gave a soft sigh. 

“You know, I’m not really sure…it was definitely strange” 

The girl shook her head, as if to dismiss the subject, and her smile returned. 

“You’re earlier than usual as well, Syaoran-kun” 

The amber eyed boy smiled at her and started to reach into his bag. 

“Well, I wanted to make sure I gave this to you as soon as possible” 

Sakura blinked curiously and watched as he pulled out a delicately wrapped box. 

“…For me?” 

Syaoran nodded, holding out the small box to her. 

“Happy birthday, Sakura” 

The girl excitedly opened the present, brushing her fingers over the box before lifting the top. Inside was a beautiful, handmade hairpiece with a cherry blossom design and embellished with a light pink satin bow. Her emerald eyes lit with awe, and she could not help but leap forth to wrap Syaoran in an embrace. 

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun! It’s beautiful. I’ll wear it right now!”

The chocolate haired boy blushed shyly from the show of affection but did not move away. He was soon released and the girl spent a few minutes putting half of her hair up, pulling it all together with the new hairpiece in the back. She giggled happily before looking back to Syaoran. 

“Does it look all right?” 

He smiled and nodded before gently taking her hand. 

“It looks perfect. Let’s get to school” 

Sakura was in full agreement, and the two walked hand in hand down the street. The cherry blossom trees were fully bloomed at this time of year, and the petals seemed to rain down on them like snow. The two engaged in normal conversation, which in these peaceful days, was usually school related. However, it wasn’t long before their talk was cut short as a cold feeling seemed to cut through both of them. 

“Syaoran-kun…do you feel that?” 

His serious expression was enough of an answer for her. They stood outside of the Tsukimine Shrine, a place filled with so many memories. There was a dark presence coming from this special place, so thick it seemed almost tangible. Syaoran and Sakura stepped through the gate, surprised to see a crowd of people standing around the ancient tree that had become an important landmark of Tomoeda. Sakura’s eyes widened at the petals that were black as soot. 

The strange appearance seemed to have attracted several news crews and there were plenty of passerbys that wanted a glimpse at the wondrous tree. Syaoran amber eyes were glaring with intensity, shuddering slightly at the sickly presence caressing his senses. 

“This was on the newspaper this morning…but I didn’t realize…”

Syaoran leaned closer to Sakura and whispered. 

“There’s an evil presence here…but we can’t check it out with all these people here…I think I’ll check it out when no one is around…” 

The girl squeezed his hand. 

“I’ll go with you” 

At first, Syaoran wanted to deny her, but he simply nodded before wrenching her away from the shrine, making their way to school. The conversation was quieter the rest of the way as they had difficulty ridding themselves of the unsettling feeling left from the tree. 

Tomoyo was the first to greet them when they arrived, immediately bringing out her camera to record the joyous event of Sakura’s birthday. The auburn haired girl was blushing in embarrassment, and Tomoyo focused a bit of extra attention on the new hairpiece. 

“Oh…is this new? It’s from Li-kun, I’m assuming?” 

Sakura was wide eyed at her best friend’s brilliant observation skills. 

“How did you know, Daidouji-san?” 

Syaoran was almost more surprised than Sakura was, and Tomoyo’s amethyst colored eyes seemed to sparkle in excitement. 

“Because it’s Sakura-chan, of course!” 

Sakura was hiding her face in shame now, though one would have thought she’d be used to such attention by now. Some things really never changed. 

The school day carried on as usual, and Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo all ate lunch together outside beneath a cherry tree. The dark haired girl was curious about the strange tree from earlier. 

“I heard about it, but I haven’t seen it yet. You both felt something strange?” 

The couple nodded in unison. 

“It felt…cold…it’s hard to explain…” 

Sakura was trying to wrap her head around the presence that was so different than anything she’d felt before. Syaoran took a bite of the lunch Fujitaka had prepared for him, his face serious as the thought dwelled in his mind as well. 

“How is the bento, Syaoran-kun?” 

The boy seemed pleased with the taste and gave a look of approval. Tomoyo smiled before commenting. 

“Your father is a very good cook, Sakura-chan” 

“He is! He was impressed with Syaoran-kun’s cooking skills the other day. He couldn’t believe that he lives all by himself” 

Syaoran blushed at the compliments and his eyes were practically burning holes in the ground. 

“It’s really no big deal…” 

Both Sakura and Tomoyo giggled at his reaction, and shortly after, lunch was over and school resumed. The day went by in a flash, and all their friends did not forget to wish Sakura a happy birthday. Syaoran walked her all the way home, where she was greeted with a typical celebration with her family. There was cake, presents, and Syaoran stayed for a little while, much to Touya’s dismay, before excusing himself for the evening. He still had homework to do, after all, though he was reluctant to leave Sakura’s side. 

As he walked home, he passed by the entrance of Tsukimine Shrine and gave a small shiver at the uncomfortable feeling that rolled down his spine. The presence felt even stronger than before, and this time, there were no people around to prevent him from getting a better look. He hesitated for a moment, remembering that Sakura had wanted to go together, but if this presence was getting stronger, it would have been irresponsible to not get an idea of what was happening while he had the chance, right? 

Syaoran stepped through the gate and approached the dark flowered tree, keeping the talisman that contained his sword close by. His amber eyes trailed up the tree and widened once they came into contact with what appeared to be another set of eyes, a haunting yellow color. 

“What the…?” 

Before he could finish speaking, something had leapt from the tree in a speed he’d never witnessed before, and the force impacted him, sending him tumbling back onto the ground. The back of his head smacked against the concrete, and his vision became blurred. A figure towered over him, and he weakly lifted his hand in preparation to utter a spell. 

Then, his eyes tightly shut as a bright flash of light appeared over him, evoking a shriek from the dark figure. The light had soon passed, and his eyes reopened to see a new blurred figure above him, shining with golden rays. Moments later, his vision was engulfed in darkness as he lost consciousness. 

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
